Marilyn Manson Columbine

Marilyn Manson - Columbine. Those three words have been heard in the same sentence for a few years, but is there a real connection between Manson and Columbine? Were the columbine shooters influenced by the music or actions of Marilyn Manson? Consider Mason's words in an article written in Rolling Stone on May 28, 1999.

"Man's greatest fear is chaos. It was unthinkable that these kids did not have a simple black-and-white reason for their actions. And so a scapegoat was needed. I remember hearing the initial reports from Littleton, that Harris and Klebold were wearing makeup and were dressed like Marilyn Manson, whom they obviously must worship, since they were dressed in black. Of course, speculation snowballed into making me the poster boy for everything that is bad in the world. These two idiots weren't wearing makeup, and they weren't dressed like me or like goths. Since Middle America has not heard of the music they did listen to (KMFDM and Rammstein, among others), the media picked something they thought was similar."

Although Manson denounced the killings and said he carried no responsibility for Klebold and Harris' actions, were Manson's lyrics an influence on the killers? We may never know. At the American Music Awards, Manson said, "We want to represent peace because we feel that if you give the world peace they want war. So we feel that by representing peace we're furthering the destruction of mankind with our music."

So, who is to blame? Do we blame the killers or their influences? Perhaps both? Researchers in Indiana have measured the effects on a brain scan. The study's principal investigator, Dr. Vincent Mathews, said prolonged exposure to violence actually affects brain function and behavior.